While many students were traveling back to Brown from spring break trips, members of the equestrian team left College Hill to compete at the Region One Championships on Saturday at the Mystic Valley Hunt Club in Gales Ferry, Conn.
The competition was an individual event that riders qualified for based on their performances during the regular season. No team score was kept, and the top two riders in each class qualified to compete in the Zone One Championship as individuals. Whitney Keefe '08 and Stephanie Carmack '08 were the only Brown riders who qualified for Zones as individuals, with Keefe taking second in Open Flat and Carmack pinning second in Walk Trot.
A few other Brown riders narrowly missed qualifying for Zones, most notably Elizabeth Giliberti '10, who took third in Intermediate Fences, and Rachel Griffith '10, who pinned fourth in Novice Fences.
"I've been training and riding with my teammates all year, so I really wanted to see them rewarded for all the work they've put in," Griffith wrote in an e-mail. "As far as my own placing, I would have liked to have qualified, but I made a bit of an error at one of the jumps, and I think the result was fair."
Bruno also had a number of eighth-place finishes, including Emma Bogdonoff '10 in Novice Fences, Amy Cameron '08 in Novice Flat and Kristen Beck '08 in Walk Trot Canter. Keefe and McCall Lewis '08 also added a pair of fifth-place finishes for the Bears, in Open Fences and Walk Trot, respectively.
"It was a good course and the horses selected were generally their better ones. Showing as an individual can be fun because you are the one putting the pressure on yourself," Giliberti wrote in an e-mail. "I thought it was about the same (amount of pressure) as regular shows because though you are technically (competing as) an individual. ... You are still riding for the team."
Brown also got a boost on the day from former team member Amanda Forte '02, who qualified for Zones by taking second in Alumnae Flat. In addition to featuring Alumnae classes, the competition also included a Coaches' Class. In an effort to raise money for charity, the entry fee for riders in the Coaches Class was donated to charity. Brown Head Coach Michaela Scanlon took fourth in the coaches' competition.
"I thought (Coach Scanlon) was great," Giliberti said. "This is the first time I'd seen this class run and it was really amusing to watch all the coaches trying to show off and win the class."
Griffith had a similarly positive review of Scanlon's performance. "It was fun to watch her do what we do and to jokingly coach her from the sidelines when she rode past," she said.
The Bears return to team competition next Saturday, when they will compete at the Zone One Championship at the Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center in South Hadley, Mass. The show will include the other three regional champions in Zone One, and the teams that finish in the top two will move on to compete at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association's National Championship Show in Los Angeles in May.
Griffith said she was optimistic for the Zone One Championships.
"I think the last few competitions have really helped me pinpoint what I need to focus on, and hopefully I will be able to come through for the team," she said.
